


put the blame on gravity

by superhoney



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Bisexual Dean, Blow Jobs, Fluff and Smut, Hand Jobs, Jock Dean, M/M, Mary Winchester Lives, Misunderstandings, Muppet Treasure Island references, Nerd Castiel, brief mentioned Aaron/Dean, is it underage if they're both 17?, they're both dorks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-09
Updated: 2016-05-09
Packaged: 2018-06-07 07:10:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,315
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6792655
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/superhoney/pseuds/superhoney
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Castiel has admired Dean Winchester from afar for most of his life. He never thought the two of them would have a chance, because they don't move in the same circles, and Dean's always dated girls. But then senior year happens, and one very interesting party and an English project later, Cas is learning that things might not be as simple as he once thought. In the best possible way.</p>
            </blockquote>





	put the blame on gravity

**Author's Note:**

> Hi friends, have 8k of pointless and predictable high school AU featuring football captain Dean and honour roll/cross-country star Castiel!
> 
> I've edited this to use the "Underage" warning even though both characters are 17, since I only recently learned the Archive considers 18 the age of consent while I sort of always thought it was 16. 
> 
> Title from soulDecision's Gravity, because it is the most ridiculous cliche-ridden bouncy pop song I could think of.

It was the first day of the new school year, and Castiel was comforted to see that very little had changed now that he was a senior at Lawrence High School. The same faces filled the halls, the same teachers and administrative staff occupied the same classrooms and offices, the same faint scent of bleach and body odour still clung to the inside of every locker. 

And Dean Winchester was still the most beautiful boy that Cas had ever seen.

He and Dean had gone to school together for years at this point. Lawrence was a fairly small town, and so the public high school was home to everyone but the few kids who were home-schooled or bussed to small private schools in nearby towns. 

If Lawrence High was a microcosm of the world as a whole, then Dean may as well have been emperor of the universe. He was captain of the football team, adored by both the student population and the teachers, most of whom were alumni of Lawrence High themselves and grateful to Dean for continuing to bring honour to the school’s name. 

On top of all that though, Dean was a genuinely kind soul. Everyone at school knew not to mess with Dean’s younger brother Sam, or any of his friends, or any of this year’s freshmen at all, really, because Dean had extended his benevolent protection to them all. Cas, whose younger sister Anna was a freshman this year, supposed he should be grateful for this. One less thing for him to worry about.

Except that it only made him sigh over Dean with more pronounced wistfulness. Dean might as well have been untouchable. Cas wasn’t invisible at school by any means, being at the top of the honour roll as well as one of the shining stars of the cross country team, but he was sure he was still way off Dean’s radar. The school was small enough that the boys knew each other by sight and by name, and had shared many classes over the years, but they weren’t friends. Not even close. 

Cas just liked to spend a lot of time daydreaming about what it would be like to fall asleep cradled in Dean’s arms, or what it would be like for Dean to kiss him awake in the morning. He had been indulging these fantasies for years now, but nothing would ever come of them.

Because of course, Dean was straight. He wasn’t obnoxious about it, and while he had had a number of girlfriends over the years, none of them ever claimed to have been treated badly, and the romances seemed to fizzle out in completely normal adolescent ways. Dean had dated Cassie Robinson for most of sophomore year, and then Lisa Braeden for the second half of junior year, but they had broken up sometime over the summer.

So perhaps there was something different about this year after all, Cas realized. Dean was as beautiful and wonderful as ever, but for the first time in a long time, he was also single.

Not that Cas would ever be brave enough to ask him out. 

\-----------

Castiel’s first class of the day was Calculus, and he was pleased to see that his friends Hannah and Balthazar shared the class with him. They managed to get seats together near the back of the class, which also gave Cas a good view of Dean, who was seated a few rows ahead and just to the right of Cas and his friends. He must have gotten lost in his daydreams again, because he suddenly felt something pressing into his arm and looked down to see Hannah poking him with a pencil.

“Cas, what’s wrong with you?” she whispered. “You look really out of it.”

“Staring at Winchester again?” Balthazar asked. “No surprise there. Is it possible he’s gotten even better-looking over the summer?”

Hannah sniffed. “I suppose he is handsome,” she conceded, “but nursing a crush on the captain of the football team, Cas? That’s so...pedestrian.”

“We can’t help who we love, Hannah dear,” Balthazar said. “Leave poor Cas alone with his lecherous thoughts. Maybe it will distract him enough that his grades will slip and you and I will have a chance to dethrone him from the top of the honour roll this year.”

“Staring at Dean hasn’t prevented me from beating you in every class yet,” Cas responded. “I’ve perfected the art of allowing his ridiculous attractiveness to enhance my learning rather than detract from it.”

“You should write him a thank-you card for when you make valedictorian,” Hannah joked. 

“Maybe I will,” Cas said.

Their conversation was interrupted by the ringing of the bell and the arrival of Mr. Fitzgerald, their eccentric math teacher who always asked his students to call him Garth. Cas tried to focus, knowing that his studies mattered now this year more than ever, and wondered if despite his earlier bravado, he should change seats so as to be able to pay more attention to the lesson and less to Dean Winchester.

\-------

The rest of the day passed uneventfully. Cas shared two other classes with Dean, but he had friends in all of them and Dean was constantly surrounded by a group whose attention varied from affectionate to downright adoring, giving Cas no chance to talk to him at all.

Which was probably for the best, really, because what would he even say? “Hello, Dean, you’re looking well, I’d like to see if the rest of your body is as freckled from the summer sun as is your face?” Or perhaps “you’re the jock and I’m the nerd and that means we’re meant to be together so let’s make that happen?”

No, Castiel was better off doing his admiring from afar. Which is exactly what he was doing at the moment, as he ran laps around the track with the other members of the cross-country team while the football team ran drills on the field. And that admiring was what led to him running straight into Charlie Bradbury, fellow distance runner and close friend of Dean Winchester.

“I’m so sorry, Charlie,” Cas said, coming to a halt beside her. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, no worries,” Charlie said, “except that I’m wondering how it is that despite all of our practice you don’t seem to be able to stay in your lane?”

“I got used to running the trails alone over the summer, I guess,” Cas said, scrambling for any excuse other than the simple fact that he had been ogling Dean in his football uniform.

Charlie, however, was no fool. She narrowed her eyes at him and raised a disbelieving eyebrow.

“That is a terrible excuse,” she said. “Come on, Cas. We’ve known each for years now, you know I’m a reliable team player, so why wouldn’t you want me on your side here? What is it, worrying about grades? Already writing your college application essays in your head instead of looking where you’re going?”

“Just enjoying the view,” Cas muttered.

Charlie cocked her head to one side, then looked out over the field.

“What, the cheerleaders? Oh come on, that’s no excuse. Gilda’s over there and yet I still manage to run properly,” she said, referring to her girlfriend of just over a year. 

Cas blushed. He could have made up some story about one of the cheerleaders, but he did like Charlie, and even though she was good friends with Dean he didn’t think she would reveal his secret.

“No, not the cheerleaders,” he admitted.

A look of understanding dawned on Charlie’s face. “Oh-ho, so the football players, then?” she asked mischievously. “The general aesthetic, or one fine fellow in particular?”

“The only one that matters,” Cas said. “Dean.”

“You’ve got a thing for Dean?” Charlie asked. “Not that I can blame you, the guy’s pretty much the textbook definition of High School Hottie, I just had no idea.”

“For years,” Cas said softly.

“Are you planning on doing anything about it?” Charlie asked.

“Of course not,” Cas said. “What could I even do? I’m not even in the same galaxy as Dean.”

“You must be, since I’m friends with both of you,” Charlie pointed out, far too reasonably.

“You know what I mean, Charlie,” Cas said. “It’s fine. I’ve gone this long admiring him from afar, I can make it through one more year.”

“Uh-huh,” Charlie said. “Just try not to run into anyone else while you’re admiring, okay champ?”

“Sorry again,” Cas said. 

“Give me a head start and we’ll call it even,” Charlie grinned, then took off running before Cas had a chance to reply. He laughed and chased after her.

\--------

By Friday afternoon, Cas was looking forward to two days off from school. The first week was normally a slow, easy adjustment period, but this year had been mostly teachers repeating how important it was going to be and then waxing poetic about their own senior years, much to the confusion and disinterest of their students. Cas had a lot of work to get started on already, and he was mentally working out a schedule for the weekend when he was interrupted by Balthazar coming up behind him as he stood at his locker at the end of the day.

“Are you going to Jo’s party tonight?” Balthazar asked. “First weekend of senior year, et cetera. Word is there won’t be any parental supervision since her mother will be at work.”

Jo Harvelle was another one of the popular kids, a pretty blonde with a sweet smile and a sharp temper. Her mother Ellen ran a bar, which meant that Jo often had the house to herself at night, the perfect set-up for high school parties. Ellen was sharp enough to know what went on, but she trusted her daughter, and Jo was pretty good about keeping people from going overboard at these events.

“I hadn’t planned on it, no,” Cas said. “I’ve got a lot of work to get done this weekend if I don’t want to fall behind. Parties aren’t really my scene anyways.”

“But it’s our last year,” Balthazar said. “Don’t you want to at least give the typical high school experience a try?”

“Not particularly?” Cas said. “You go without me, I know you’ll tell me all the good parts anyways.”

“But I need a wingman!”

“What about Hannah?” Cas asked.

“Hannah is wonderful, but she’s not particularly interested in sex,” Balthazar said. “It makes it difficult for her to help me in my quest for sweaty physical pleasure.”

“And you think I’ll be able to help you?” Cas said skeptically.

“Well, I know you may not have any practical experience,” Balthazar said, “but I know you’ve had plenty of dirty thoughts about dear Dean. I can practically see you undressing him with your eyes sometimes.”

“So you want me to come to this party with you to help you get laid?”

“You never know, things might take a turn for the better for you as well,” Balthazar said. “I’m not saying you have to round any bases tonight, Cas, just that it could be good for you to be a bit more social sometimes. You’re an attractive fellow. Who knows what could happen!”

“Fine,” Cas said. “I’ll make an appearance. But I’m not making any promises about how long I’ll stay.”

“Fair enough,” Balthazar said. “Thanks, Cas, really. I appreciate it.”

Cas pretended to grumble as Balthazar hugged him, but he was secretly somewhat excited. If ever there was a time to start attending parties, this was it. And if he hated it, well, at least he could say he tried. 

\--------

Cas didn’t hate the party at all, as it turned out. 

Jo was in a good mood, welcoming Cas and Balthazar with a bright smile, telling them how glad she was that they had finally shown up to one of her parties. Her boyfriend Victor seemed equally pleased to see them, and despite Cas’ misgivings, everyone seemed to be laidback and happy and not at all intimidating. 

Maybe he had been missing out, all this time.

Balthazar had gone off in pursuit of a pretty junior named Hael, but Cas had just seen Charlie and Gilda arrive, so he made his way over to greet them.

“Cas! What a pleasant surprise!” Charlie said, pulling him in for a brief hug. 

“Balthazar persuaded me to partake in the festivities for once,” Cas said, smiling at Gilda, who he didn’t know very well, but had always thought seemed sweet. 

“I’ll have to thank him later, then,” Charlie said. “Lead us to the drinks, my friend! Gilda’s sister is picking us up later, so we are going to get responsibly inebriated to celebrate the first week of our last year of high school!”

“That’s very nice of your sister,” Cas said to Gilda as he helped them navigate the crowded hallways in search of the alcohol in the kitchen.

“Well, I used to cover for her all the time when she would sneak out to parties,” Gilda said, “so this is how she’s paying me back.”

“Good system, right?” Charlie said, looking fondly at her girlfriend. 

“Very good system,” Cas said.

He chatted with Charlie and Gilda for quite awhile, and was in the middle of discussing upcoming plans for college when a pair of arms wrapped around Charlie from behind and lifted her off her feet. She shrieked, more in surprise than in alarm, and reached behind her to pinch the boy holding her up, who was none other than Dean Winchester. 

“Dean!” Charlie complained. “I could have spilled my drink.”

“And then you would have had an excuse to make me get you a new one,” Dean said, coming around to join the group. “Hey Gilda. Hey Cas.”

Cas felt a spike of pleasure run through him at the sound of Dean’s voice saying his name. He managed a smile and a salute with his cup in the other boy’s direction, not trusting himself to speak for fear of making a total fool of himself. 

“Did you just get here?” Charlie asked.

“Yeah, I had to pick Sam up from his soccer practice and it ran late, so then I ran late too,” Dean explained.

“I think it’s so sweet how you look after Sam,” Gilda said.

Dean laughed, a faint blush staining his freckled cheeks. “He’s my brother, you know? Getting to be a moody-ass teenager these days, but puberty’s a bitch for all of us, so I can’t really hold that against him.”

“My brother only ever picked me up from track practice if there was something in it for him,” Cas said, jumping on the chance to include himself in the conversation.

“Oh yeah, Gabriel!” Dean said. “I remember him. What’s he up to?”

“He’s at culinary school in New Orleans, actually,” Cas said. “So when he’s home for holidays now, I get to be his food-taster.”

“Man, that sounds awesome,” Dean grinned. “Maybe I should convince Sam to become a chef instead of a lawyer.”

“I don’t know,” Cas said. “Lawyers make pretty good money. Once he’s rich, he can just take you out for fancy meals.”

“What, you don’t think I’ll be rich myself?” Dean said teasingly.

“Oh no,” Cas said quickly. “I’m sure your football career will turn out. Surely you’re being scouted and everything?”

“Let’s not talk about the future anymore,” Charlie said. “We’ve got enough people cramming that kind of thinking down our throats at school. Gilda, I need to pee. Come with me?”

The girls took off towards the washroom, though Cas wasn’t entirely convinced that Charlie actually had to go. Either she just wanted somewhere quiet to make out with her girlfriend….or she was giving him an opportunity to talk to Dean alone. 

“So Cas,” Dean said, looking at him over the top of his red plastic cup, “I don’t usually see you out and about at these things. What made you change your mind?”

“Balthazar insisted we put in an appearance,” Cas said.

“Wow, really had to drag you out, did he?” Dean laughed.

Cas started to explain, but he was distracted by Balthazar himself, who was standing at the other end of the kitchen and waving frantically to get Cas’ attention. 

Cas sighed. “Excuse me,” he said. “Speak of the devil, I think he requires my assistance.”

“You’re a good friend, Cas,” Dean said solemnly.

As Cas made his way over to Balthazar, he cursed himself for not having asked Dean to stay where he was, to have given him some indication that he hoped to continue their conversation. Who knew when they would have another chance to talk like that?

“Cas!” Balthazar exclaimed as he reached him. “I need you, wingman.”

“You and Hael seemed to be doing fine,” Cas said. “What do you need me for?”

“It was going fine,” Balthazar said dramatically, “but then she started going on about our connection and how great we could really be together and it was very intense and frightening, Cas!”

Clearly Balthazar had had quite a bit to drink already. Cas sighed. “So what, you need an escape plan?”

“I think I’ve dodged her so far, I just need you to keep a lookout and let me know if you see her coming.”

“Why don’t you just tell her that you’re not looking for anything serious?” Cas asked.

“I tried that,” Balthazar said. “She said I would change my mind.”

Oh. That was rather intense. 

“Let’s go back out to the living room,” Cas said. “It’s busy in there, but at least if we see her, there’ll be enough people between us to give us time to get away.”

When they arrived at the room at the front of the house, it became clear that most of their classmates were also well on their way to intoxication. The music was loud, people were dancing without self-consciousness, couples were making out with abandon. Cas smiled at the sight of Charlie and Gilda twirling around, pressed tightly together. His eyes roamed around the room, and then swept back towards one corner, and the couple curled together in the armchair nestled there.

A couple consisting of two boys. One of whom was Dean.

Cas was sure he was standing there with his mouth open, blatantly staring. Dean was sitting on the armchair, and that was definitely a male form draped over his lap, attached at the mouth. From this angle, Cas could only see dark hair and a slightly stubbled jawline...and then the boy shifted slightly, and Cas could see that it was Aaron Bass, fellow senior and friendly stoner. 

Everyone knew that Aaron was into guys, but no one had a problem with it. But Dean? Unless Cas had missed that vital piece of information by never coming to these parties, he was pretty sure this was a new thing. And yet no one else in the room seemed to have noticed their football captain playing tonsil hockey with another guy. Or they did notice, and just didn’t care.

“Cas?” Balthazar asked, following his line of sight. “Oh. Well, that’s a surprise.”

“I think I’d like to leave now,” Cas said faintly. 

“Yes, probably a good idea,” Balthazar said. “I’ll text Bela, she should be along shortly. Let’s go wait out on the porch, hmn?”

Balthazar’s older sister Bela had agreed to be their ride home that night, and fortunately she was able to come pick them up quickly, so Cas and Balthazar only spent a few minutes sitting in uncomfortable silence on Jo’s front porch.

Bela dropped Cas off first, and Balthazar seemed about to say something, but changed his mind at the last minute. Instead he just got out of the car and gave Cas a tight hug. Cas hugged him back, grateful for his friend’s quiet support, then thanked Bela for the ride and went inside. His parents and Anna had already gone to bed, so he got changed quietly and slipped into bed.

Cas had no idea how to process what he’d seen tonight. Obviously he wasn’t in possession of all of the facts, but a few things at least were clear: Dean had no problem kissing another boy, and no problem doing so in public. Cas berated himself for assuming that just because Dean liked girls, it meant that he didn’t like anyone other than girls. He was well aware that things were rarely that simple. But he had always firmly placed Dean in a box labelled ‘straight,’ mostly because it kept him from getting too attached to the possibility of anything happening between them.

But now that box was broken wide open, and Cas didn’t know what to do about it.

Maybe he had a shot with Dean now. Or at least, his gender wouldn’t rule him out completely. But if Dean and Aaron were being so publicly affectionate, there was also a good chance that they were on their way to being exclusive, leaving Cas no chance at all. 

This was all incredibly confusing, and Cas was still feeling slightly buzzed, so he turned off his lamp and wrapped himself tightly in his blankets, willing himself to turn off his thoughts of Dean and get some sleep.

\---------

Cas kept himself busy all weekend, working through the mountain of projects and assignments and essays he had been assigned over the past week. He also dodged several calls from Balthazar and even one from Hannah, who he suspected had been enlisted to pester him on Balthazar’s behalf. He sent them both texts saying he was fine, and that he would see them on Monday, and asked to be left alone otherwise. Fortunately, they respected his wishes.

By the time Monday morning rolled around, Cas had accepted that Dean was once again off the market, and that the revelation of his flexibility with regard to the gender of his make-out partners changed nothing. He was however curious to see what the school gossips were saying. He had left the party too soon to see if any drama had resulted from Dean and Aaron’s little show, and had done his best to sever communication with his classmates over the weekend. Would Dean be dethroned over this event?

Of course not. Cas should have known. 

As soon as he got to school, he heard the excited whispers. Dean Winchester was openly and proudly bisexual. Apparently, someone at the party had tried to make a scene out of the football captain having another boy draped all over him, and Dean had calmly stood up and punched him in the face, then told the shocked crowd that if anyone else had a problem with his bisexuality, they were invited to say their piece. 

The only reaction was a pitch-perfect slow clap from everyone in the room. 

It made a certain amount of sense. After all, Dean had built up his popularity not only by being athletic and attractive, but also by being friendly and well-liked by pretty much everyone at the school. Being so open about his tastes only served to make people more enchanted with him. 

Naturally, this was exactly how Cas felt about it as well once he heard the whole story from Balthazar, who had heard it from others who stayed at the party after he and Cas had left.

“Good for him,” was Cas’ only comment when Balthazar finished telling him. “I’m glad he felt secure enough to make such a declaration in public.”

“Cas,” Balthazar said tentatively, but Cas held up a hand to cut him off.

“It’s okay,” he said. “Really. I’m happy for him.”

Balthazar smiled and ruffled Cas’ hair. “You’re a gem, Cas, you truly are,” he said.

\--------

Cas managed to avoid any interaction with Dean during the first two of their three shared classes, though he did catch Dean looking at him at one point. The other boy smiled when he got Cas’ attention, and Cas was quick to look away. He had hoped after their conversation on Friday night that they were on their way to becoming friends, but now it was all so mixed up that he thought it would be easier to just stay out of Dean’s way, at least for the time being. 

That plan went to hell when Cas arrived for last-period English Lit to discover that Ms. Mills was assigning partners for a major project, and she had paired Cas with Dean.

Cas approached Ms. Mills’ desk, hoping he could find some reason to switch partners. Maybe he could convince her that between his cross-country and Dean’s football, they would have little time to meet up, and they would both be better off partnering with non-athletes who had a bit more flexibility in their schedules. 

Before he could even begin to suggest this, Ms. Mills cut him off. “No changing partners, Castiel,” she said.

“But,” Cas protested.

“No exceptions,” she said sternly. “You and Dean will make a good pair. He has good ideas, but sometimes more organization while expressing them. I think you’ll do very well together. Go on, get to work.”

Cas knew when he was beaten. Ms. Mills was a great teacher, but she had a stubborn streak. If she said no exceptions, no amount of pleading would get her to change her mind. He walked back over to where Dean was sitting waiting for him.

“Trying to get another partner?” Dean asked. His voice was cold. “I know I’m not up to your level, man, but you could at least be a bit more subtle about it.”

Oh shit. Dean thought Cas was trying to get rid of him so that his grades wouldn’t suffer. The thought had never even crossed Cas’ mind. He knew Dean was smart. If not for the way his heart tried to leap out of his chest every time the other boy was near, Cas would have had no problem working with him.

“No, that’s not it at all!” Cas exclaimed.

“Sure it’s not,” Dean said. “I promise I’ll give you final veto power so you can fix any of my dumb mistakes.”

“Dean, I swear that wasn’t it,” Cas said. “I just worry that it’ll be hard for us to get together to work on this, between both of our practice schedules. I promise, that was my only concern.”

Dean looked at him intently, and Cas tried to make himself look as convincing as possible. Apparently it worked, because Dean stretched his arms over his head and exhaled loudly. “Alright, fine,” he said. “I believe you.”  
“So we’re doing an analysis of a contemporary adaptation of a classic piece of literature,” Cas said, reading the assignment description. “Sounds straightforward enough. Anything you have in mind?”

“Something fun,” Dean said. “None of that Les Mis shit.”

Cas laughed. “I think that’s fair,” he said. “Why don’t we both think about it, and we can try to meet up sometime this week to go over ideas?”

“I’ve got practice every day except Friday,” Dean said. “Unless you want to meet in the morning, which I am not looking forward to, but I guess I could.”

“Apparently our scheduling works out better than I thought,” Cas replied. “We don’t practice on Fridays either.”

“Cool,” Dean said. “You should come over then. Drive home with me and Sammy, we’ll do some work, then we can hang out.”

If Cas didn’t know better, he’d almost think Dean was asking him out.

“Sounds like a plan,” Cas said. The bell rang shortly thereafter, and Dean left with a little wave to Castiel.

\-------

Dean and Cas saw each other as normal throughout the week, but Ms. Mills wasn’t giving them any more time to work on their assignment in class, so their opportunities for conversation were limited. Cas saw Dean and Aaron talking between classes a few times, and while they were much less physical with one another than they had been at the party, they were still smiling and laughing quite a bit. It was actually kind of sweet, Cas had to admit. Aaron was a nice guy, and attractive in his own way. Cas would never have pictured him and Dean together, but if they were happy, who was he to judge? 

Friday afternoon arrived, and after the last bell of the day rang, Dean turned to Cas and grinned. “Ready to go?” he asked. 

“I’ve just got to stop at my locker quickly, then I’ll meet you out front?” Cas said.

“Sounds good,” said Dean. 

Cas hurried to get to his locker and organize all the textbooks and notebooks he would need for the weekend, not wanting to make Dean wait too long. Balthazar flashed him a quick thumbs-up as he passed by on his way to his own locker, having heard from Cas earlier in the week about the study date. Once he had all his supplies, Cas headed for the main entrance, where he found Sam Winchester waiting.

“Hello, Sam,” he said. He didn’t know the younger Winchester other than by sight, but he had a reputation for being as kind as he was clever.

“Hi Cas!” Sam said. “Dean just went to get the car, he’ll pull around here to pick us up. I’ll even let you sit in the front seat.”

Sensing that this was an honour not bestowed on every passenger, Cas did his best to convey his appreciation. “Thank you, Sam,” he said. 

Dean honked, startling them both. He looked unreasonably attractive behind the wheel of his big shiny black car. Everyone at school knew about the Impala and how much Dean loved her. Getting to ride in her was quite the sought-after experience. Cas opened the passenger door and slid in, Sam doing the same in the back.

“Wow, Sammy, you let Cas sit up in front?” Dean said, swiveling in his seat to look at his younger brother. “That’s mighty kind of you.”

“I thought about settling it with rock-paper-scissors, but if he’s anything like you, he’d just lose and be cranky about it,” Sam retorted. 

“Ouch,” Dean complained. “No gratitude for the chauffeur, huh? Kids these days, I tell you.”

Cas was both amused and touched by the affectionate squabbling between the brothers. He and his siblings got along fairly well, but their relationship was nothing like this. Maybe it was because there were three of them, so the affection was more spread out. 

“Have you picked a topic for your project yet?” Sam asked.

‘We’re gonna decide tonight,” Dean said. “I told Sam all about it, Cas. He’s such a nerd, he likes hearing about what work seniors do so he can be better prepared by the time he gets there.”

“That’s very smart of you, Sam,” Cas said.

“Hah!” Sam exclaimed. “If the guy at the top of the honour roll says something’s smart, you know it’s gotta be true.”

“Whatever,” Dean mumbled, pulling into the Winchester’s driveway. 

Cas got out of of the car and examined his surroundings with interest. Dean didn’t live too far away from him, but the neighbourhood was older, with bigger trees and slightly smaller houses.  
“Home sweet home,” Dean announced, pushing open the door. “Sam, you can have the kitchen table, we’ll work up in my room.”

“Cool, I’ve got lots to do before soccer tonight,” Sam said, darting off to the back of the house, presumably to start his homework.

“Cas, you want anything to drink?” Dean asked. 

“No, I’m good,” Cas said.

“Okay, well, Mom’ll be home soon and get dinner started anyways,” Dean said. “So let’s get cracking.”

Dean led Cas upstairs to his surprisingly tidy room. The walls were painted a calm blue, and the grey bedspread was pulled neatly across the bed. Star Wars posters hung on the walls, and Dean’s desk was clear.

“I made sure to clean up before I left this morning,” Dean admitted. “Wanted to make sure we could get work done in peace.”

Dean took a seat on the bed, leaving the desk for Cas. “So, what did you come up with?” he asked. 

Cas took a deep breath. “I had an idea,” he said. “But it’s a bit...odd.”

“Hit me,” Dean said.

“Muppet Treasure Island,” Cas said.

Dean just stared at him.

“We can do something else,” Cas said. “What did you think of? Let’s do one of your ideas.”

“No way, man,” Dean said. “That is the most absolutely brilliant idea I have ever heard. Senior year, English Lit, and we’re gonna get to write about the Muppets? Cas, you really are a genius.”

“I just thought it would be fun, and that nobody else would pick it,” Cas said.

“Yeah, they’ll all be too busy doing Pride and Prejudice or The Great Gatsby or some boring shit like that. Meanwhile we’ll be talking about Tim Curry and Kermit the Frog.”

Cas was relieved. He had been rather pleased with his idea, but he wasn’t sure that Dean would go along with it. Fortunately it seemed that Dean was a fan of the Muppets as well. 

There was a soft knock on the open door, and Cas looked up to a lovely blonde woman peering into the room at them.

“Hey Mom,” Dean said, his whole face lighting up. “This is Cas, we’re working together for English.”

Cas stood up and went to shake Mrs. Winchester’s hand. “Nice to meet you, Mrs. Winchester,” he said.

“Please, call me Mary,” she said. “Are you boys hungry? I’m making spaghetti.”

“That sounds great, Mom,” Dean said, and Cas nodded in agreement.

“I’ll let you know when it’s ready,” Mary said, and went back downstairs.

“Your mom’s nice,” Cas commented.

“She’s the best,” Dean agreed. “Dad’ll be home soon too, but then they’re going back out to watch Sam’s soccer game.”

“Should we try to finish quickly?” Cas asked, thinking that perhaps Dean would have made plans with Aaron for later in the evening.

“Why would you say that?” Dean asked.

“I thought maybe you and Aaron might have plans,” Cas said softly.

Dean looked even more confused than before. “Aaron? Why would you- oh. Right. You were at the party last week. I never saw you leave, man, but I guess it was after the big scene.”

“Well, sort of,” Cas said. “I just thought maybe you would rather hang out with your boyfriend than work on a project on a Friday night, that’s all.”

“Aaron’s not my boyfriend,” Dean said, sitting up to look directly at Cas.

What? Cas’ confusion must have shown on his face, because Dean laughed quietly and rubbed one hand over his face as if clearing his thoughts. “Yeah, I mean, we made out last week, but it was just a spur of the moment, hey you’re there and you’re cute and we’re a bit buzzed kind of thing. I like him and all, but there’s no real spark, and his parents don’t care if he dates guys, but they do care if the guy’s Jewish or not, so we don’t really stand much of a chance anyways.”

“I’m sorry for assuming,” Cas said, blushing.

“Nah, it’s cool,” Dean said. “Thanks for being so chill about it. I gotta say, I was expecting way more people to be on my case about the whole liking guys too thing, but everyone’s been really great.”

“Everybody loves you, Dean,” Cas said. “Pretty sure it would take more than kissing a guy and being willing to kiss more to change that.”

“And you’re okay with it?” Dean asked, a peculiar look in his eyes that Cas couldn’t quite place.

“Yes,” Cas said. “I mean, I prefer guys myself, so I’m not exactly in a position to judge.”

“Oh,” Dean said quietly. “I didn’t know.”

“Well, now you do,” Cas said. 

There was a moment of silence, where Cas could almost see Dean processing this new information, then he grinned and bounced on the bed slightly. 

“So, does this mean we get to watch Muppet Treasure Island over and over again? You know, for research?”

\--------

After a very pleasant dinner, Sam rushed off to get his gear together for his soccer game while May made coffee to pack into thermoses for herself and John. Dean’s father was rather intimidating looking, and asked very direct questions about Cas’ interests and plans for college, but he clearly loved his family very much, and Cas could appreciate that. Dean only rolled his eyes at Cas when his father wasn’t looking. 

Sam came clattering back downstairs, all dressed in his uniform and ready to go. 

“Did you and Cas want to come to the game with us?” John asked.

Dean glanced at Cas with an unreadable expression on his face before replying.

“No, I think we’re going to try to get a bit more work done,” he said.

“Well, don’t work too hard,” Mary said, kissing Dean on the cheek. “It is Friday, after all.”

“Thanks, Mom,” Dean said. “Good luck, kid,” he said to Sam.

“Good luck,” Cas echoed.

Sam smiled and said goodbye, John and Mary following him out the door. Then Cas and Dean were alone in the house.

“Well, let’s get back at it,” Dean said.

They went back to Dean’s bedroom since all their books and notes were already there, but this time when Dean settled onto the bed, he patted the space beside him, inviting Cas to join him. “We can watch clips from the movie on Youtube,” he explained, pulling out his laptop. 

Cas sat down beside Dean on the bed, careful to leave a respectful distance between them. They plotted out what elements of the story to discuss, and were well on their way to having a good outline of the entire project, when Dean suddenly got a mischievous look on his face and began searching for something on Youtube.

“Music break,” he announced, and sure enough, he had pulled up a clip of the Cabin Fever song. 

Cas laughed, watching the clip, but he was distracted by the way Dean was mouthing along to the words and doing his best to dance while seated on the bed. It was ridiculous and charming, and Cas had an overwhelming urge to kiss him.

So he did.

He leaned over and placed his lips against Dean’s briefly before pulling away. Dean had frozen in place, but before Cas could apologize or try to explain himself, Dean was leaning up on one elbow and pressing his lips back to Cas’. 

Cas moaned as Dean deepened the kiss, his hands coming up to rest on the other boy’s well-muscled shoulders. Dean’s tongue slid tentatively over his mouth and Cas gladly let him in, matching Dean’s passion with his own. He pushed Dean flat on his back and swung one leg over him, Dean’s hands falling to his hips to hold the two of them together. 

Cas had to pull away to catch his breath, because the sensation of kissing Dean was overwhelming. He looked down into Dean’s face and felt himself melt at the fond look in the other’s boys eyes.

“Hi,” he said, stroking his thumb over Dean’s cheek.

“Hi yourself,” Dean replied.

“I didn’t really plan to do that, it just kind of happened,” Cas admitted. 

“I’m glad that it did,” Dean said. “Are you?”

“God, yes,” said Cas. “I’ve wanted you for ages.”

“Really?” Dean said, looking far too pleased at the thought. “Like how long?”

“Years.”

“Jesus. Cas. I didn’t know.”

“I never meant for you to know. I always thought you were straight, and that you barely even knew who I was.”

Dean laughed and pressed a kiss to Cas’ cheek. “Well then you were wrong all around,” he said. “Definitely not straight, and I definitely know who you are. I’ve always thought you were cute, but you always seemed so busy, you know? Between school and track and everything, and you never came to any parties or anything, so I barely got to talk to you alone until last week.”

“Yeah,” Cas said. “I would have liked to have been the one you were in that chair with,” he admitted.

Dean laughed again, but he was unable to conceal the way his eyes darkened with desire at the idea. “You thought about this a lot, huh?” he said.

“Maybe,” Cas said coyly. 

“Wanna tell me about it?” Dean asked, stretching his arms back behind him.

Cas was finding it very difficult to breathe. He had the object of his fantasies pinned beneath him on his bed in an empty house, and Dean was asking him to tell him about those fantasies? How could Cas possibly say no?

“Well, when I was younger, it was mostly just about kissing you,” Cas said, trailing his lips along Dean’s jaw, then back to his mouth. “Poor sweet innocent that I was.”

Dean groaned. “Then what?” he asked, and Cas was pleased to see that his breathing had quickened as well.

“Well, then we started growing up, and I started paying more attention to this body,” Cas said, running his hands down Dean’s sides. “Wondering what it looked like under that football uniform. Wondering if you had freckles everywhere.”

“Wanna find out?” Dean asked, then pulled off his shirt before Cas could answer. 

Cas stared down at the boy beneath him. Dean was gorgeous. His summer tan covered his entire torso, and there were indeed freckles across the tops of his shoulders and even lower down, along his ribs. 

“You’re incredible,” he blurted out.

Dean blushed. “Uh, thanks,” he said. “But you know, I’m feeling a little under-dressed here…”

Cas remedied the situation by removing his own shirt, and was gratified to see Dean lick his lips as he let his eyes roam over Cas’ newly exposed body. “What you said,” Dean said hoarsely.

Cas laughed and bent down to place a kiss to the centre of Dean’s chest. “Want to know more?” he asked.

“God yes,” Dean breathed. 

“I thought about being like this with you,” Cas said. “I like the way you feel so close to me.” He shifted his hips, pressing in closer, and was rewarded with a bitten-off gasp from Dean as their matching erections brushed together through their jeans. 

“Cas,” Dean whined. “Let me take ‘em off.”

Cas sat back so that Dean could shimmy out of his jeans, and used the time to remove his own. He could see Dean’s cock pressing against his plaid boxers, and knew that he had a similar situation going on. 

“Hey,” Dean said, sitting up beside Cas for a minute. “You okay? We can slow down, I don’t want you to feel pressured or anything.”

“No, that’s not it,” Cas said. “I’m a little overwhelmed, but in a good way. I want this, Dean.”

“I do too,” Dean said, pulling Cas in close and kissing him deeply. They slowly eased back down into a horizontal position, with Cas once more atop Dean. They were thrusting against each other as they kissed, hands wandering over each other’s bodies, and when Cas let his hand linger against the top edge of Dean’s boxers, Dean placed his hand over top of Cas’ and helped him pull them down.

Cas took a minute to stare. Dean was naked in front of him, and Cas had never seen anything so beautiful. His cock was thick and hard up against his stomach, and Cas simply had to touch it. He ran one finger gently down Dean’s length, relishing the way it made Dean moan and the muscles in his stomach flex as he bucked his hips upwards.

“Fuck, that feels so good,” Dean said. Cas continued to stroke him, loving the way Dean grew harder and wetter in his hand. 

“Can I suck you off?” Cas asked. He had never done it before, but he figured it was pretty straightforward, and he really, really wanted to get Dean’s cock in his mouth.

“God, yes, baby,” Dean said, and Cas thrilled at the sound of the endearment. He lowered his head and licked at Dean tentatively, then with growing confidence. Dean’s noises increased in volume as Cas took him into his mouth, then pulled back to suck gently on the head. 

“I’m not gonna last,” Dean warned as Cas continued to go down on him. 

Cas pulled off for a second to smile up at him. “That’s okay,” he said, “I want to make you come.”

Dean groaned and threw his head back against the pillows. Cas took one of Dean’s hands and guided it to his head, and Dean brought the other one up to join it, tangling his fingers in Cas’ dark hair as he took him deeper into his mouth.

“Cas,” Dean panted out. “I’m close, baby, just like that.”

Dean’s hands pulled lightly on Cas’ hair as he came. Cas did his best to swallow it all down, but he hadn’t known what to expect, and some of Dean’s come ended up dribbling down his lips and onto his chin. Dean grabbed him and hauled him up into a kiss, licking his own spend off of Cas’ face. 

“You’re amazing, you know that,” Dean murmured. “Let me get you off, too.”

“I won’t say no that,” Cas said, “but I’m already so close.”

“Yeah?” Dean said, pushing Cas’ boxers down and wrapping his hand around his dick. “Is this good?”

“So good,” Cas said. “Just like that, yes, Dean god.”

It took only a few more minutes for Cas to come, having gotten so worked up just from going down on Dean. He cried out slightly, and Dean slowed his movements, stroking him through the aftershocks, until Cas became too sensitive and he pulled Dean’s hand away. 

“Urgh,” Dean said, “we’re a mess, man. Good thing I’ve got tissues in here.”

Cas laughed. “Always be prepared,” he said.

They cleaned themselves up and got back into their clothes, pausing a few times to exchange brief kisses. Cas liked the casual intimacy of it. It seemed to promise more of the same in the future.

“Hey, so, uh, maybe this is a bit backwards, but can I take you out on an actual date sometime?” Dean asked tentatively.

“Of course,” Cas replied. “Dean, I don’t want this to be a one-time thing.”

Dean looked relieved. “Good,” he said. “Me neither. Actually, I was really hoping we could be, you know, together. For real. Exclusive and everything.”

“Nothing would make me happier,” Cas said, and it was the complete truth. 

“So, boyfriend,” Dean said, “it’s getting kinda late.”

“I guess you should probably take me home,” Cas said.

“Only if we get to make out in the backseat before you get out of the car,” Dean said.

“It’s a deal,” Cas replied. 

They packed up their things, and Dean scribbled a quick note to his parents in case they got home before he did. 

“Do your parents know?” Cas asked.

“Huh? Oh, about me liking guys?” Dean said. “Yeah, I told them over the summer, actually. They were pretty cool about it. Took them awhile to figure out the I like both part, but then it turned into one of those teary-eyed ‘as long as you’re happy’ moments and Mom made me a pie, so it was pretty cool.”

“Your mom made you a pie for coming out?” Cas asked. “She really is great.”

“Yep. Then I called it my bi pie and Dad threatened to eat the whole thing just for that terrible joke.”

Cas laughed and dropped a kiss on Dean’s cheek. “You’re such a dork,” he said fondly.

“Yep,” Dean said proudly. “But you know you love it.”

“I do,” Cas said. 

“Come on, Romeo, get in the car before I drag you back upstairs to have my wicked way with you again.”

“That doesn’t sound so bad.”

“Yeah, but we agreed on backseat make-outs, remember? So the faster we get to your house, the faster we get to make that happen.”

“I like the way you think,” Cas said as he got into the car. 

It was a short drive to Castiel’s house, and as promised, Dean pulled over on the opposite side of the street and pulled Cas into the backseat. This time Dean straddled Cas’ hips as they kissed, making sure to leave a small but clearly visible mark on Cas’ neck.

“Just so everyone knows you’re off the market,” Dean said.

“Wow, what are you, a caveman?” Cas teased, but he didn’t really mind at all. He liked the idea of everyone knowing that he and Dean were together.

“Well, I gotta make sure,” Dean said, nuzzling against Cas’ neck. “You’re a hot commodity, Cas.”

“Not as hot as you,” Cas replied.

“Well then it’s a good thing you’re going to leave a mark on me too, aren’t you?”

Cas proceeded to do just that. Finally, after several minutes of passionate kissing, Dean slid off Cas’ lap and into the seat beside him. 

“You should probably go in,” he said. “Not that I want you to, but I know you. You’re going to need your sleep so you can get all your work done tomorrow.”

“I appreciate your consideration,” Cas said.

“Don’t get used to it. I plan on being very distracting,” Dean said, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. 

“Goodnight, Dean,” Cas said, wrapping the other boy up in his arms.

“Night, Cas,” Dean replied.

Cas got out of the car and waved to Dean before entering the house. He leaned up against the door, smiling to himself. Only a few short hours ago, he never would have imagined being in this position. It really was incredible how quickly things could change. Cas was looking forward to finding out just what else his senior year had in store for he and Dean.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks again for reading! I'm slowly easing into active fandom life, so if you're nice and friendly, you can find me on tumblr at http://pomegranatedaffodil.tumblr.com/


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